Striking Distance Studios has botched the PC release of The Callisto Protocol, according to early players of the sci-fi survival game who have taken to the usual channels, including Steam’s review section, to vent and warn others about the PC version’s apparently less-than-stellar performance.
“Don’t buy this game right now,” a review from Buttered Steak, whose musings sit at the top of The Callisto Protocol’s most helpful reviews section on Steam, reads. “It is a stuttering mess than runs poorly as of day 1. I will update if they fix it and then maybe talk about game play. The PS5 version also drops frames apparently but no where near this maybe buy that one instead if you can.”
“The Stutter Protocol,” another user joked, followed by what seems like countless other negative reviews that speak of the game’s technical issues, which include poor optimization and constant frame drops, even on relatively powerful hardware such as NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards.
The Callisto Protocol currently has a Mostly Negative rating on Steam, but Striking Distance Studios is trying to change that with a new patch that should be out soon:
We’re aware that some users are experiencing stuttering issues on the PC. We’ve got a patch that will be available in a few hours to improve performance, with a number of additional updates on the way.
We’re aware that some users are experiencing stuttering issues on the PC. We’ve got a patch that will be available in a few hours to improve performance, with a number of additional updates on the way.
— The Callisto Protocol (@CallistoTheGame) December 2, 2022
A description for The Callisto Protocol, which stars Josh Duhamel of Transformers fame and Karen Fukuhara, a key member of The Boys:
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror that fuses brutal combat with a deeply human story in a terrifying sci-fi world. Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol challenges players to escape the maximum security Black Iron Prison and uncover the terrifying secrets of the United Jupiter Company. Players will need to search their surroundings and adapt their tactics, using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat to survive a mysterious outbreak that has thrown Callisto into chaos.
The Callisto Protocol’s previous controversies include locking a dozen death animations behind its season pass, which is available for $29.99.
The game incorporates third-party DRM in the form of Denuvo Anti-Tamper.